Specialities
by Crusnik02
Summary: AU, yaoi/slash. Inspired by xxMikeyxx. Warnings: whatever you get in a mental facility, drugs, self-harm. rated for the afore-mentioned, but will probably change. TresxAbel, HuguexLeon, WilliamxMaleOC and EstherxOC. Co-written with ItachisPurpleChakra
1. The New Kid

**This was inspired by**_** xxMikeyxx**_**'s Sweet Addiction. All credit goes to him/her (I assume xxMikeyxx is a he, but it doesn't say on the profile *sweatdrops*).**

**So, let the story begin!**

------

Abel Nightroad nervously walked into the huge building, his older brother, Cain, a few feet ahead of him. He didn't get why his older brother had to send him to this place. Some random therapy thing, he didn't know much about it. But when Cain had walked in while Abel was just about to... no, Abel wasn't going to even think it... still, when that happened, he woke up slightly. Things weren't the same any more – he wasn't the same person he had been before. He wasn't the same person he had been before he found out that he was a freak. Before he found out he didn't have real parents, no relatives apart from Cain, Seth, and at the time, Lillith**(1)**.

That was when he started. He knew he shouldn't, but it was so... fun, almost. Breaking the rules. Keeping it secret from Cain. Cain, the one who told him. The one who... again, Abel skipped that train of thought. He had started... and it felt so brilliant that he continued, even though he knew what he was doing to himself. Then one day, after constant put-downs from Cain and thinking too much about Lillith, he'd accidentally gone too far. Cain had found him, called an ambulance and the worst thing was, there had been absolutely no change in the expression on Cain's face as Abel slipped into unconsciousness.

About two days later, Abel had woken up in hospital, feeling like total shit with his brother in the room. Cain had emotionlessly informed him that as soon as he was recovered, Abel was being sent to St. Alessandro's Mental Facility.

And then the day came. Abel didn't protest. In fact, he didn't speak a word. Seth had cried and screamed, and hit Cain. Cain just hugged Seth. And Abel watched, tears forming in his eyes at Seth's attempts to stick up for him. It was useless. Cain was sending him into a loony bin, and he deserved it. He was meant to be there.

-----

"Hey guys, we gotcha some news!" Leon said, dropping into 'his' seat in the canteen. Each of the group had chairs where they sat in. Esther was next to him, then Hugue. Opposite Leon was William, and next to him was Tres. The remaining chair was empty. No-one had ever sat there.

"News?" Esther perked up at the mention of some change.

"Yeah, it's good too. Word is, there's a new kid." Leon dropped his voice, smirking. He looked at them, his dark brown eyes gleaming.

"New kid? Are they a boy or a girl?" Hugue asked interestedly, pushing blonde hair away from his face.

"We dunno yet. We think they're a boy, though." Leon said, shrugging. He leaned back in his seat, tilting his chair back on two legs, surveying Tres' reaction.

"Hn." Tres muttered. He was the only one without a roommate; he knew for certain that he would get the new kid landed on him. Great, just what he needed. Another thing he knew for certain was that the new kid would ask for a transfer within a week. His 'affliction' drove people away – that was why he was the only one without at roommate.

"Heh, we getcha pain. Remember how it was with Hugue?" Leon laughed at the memory. Hugue was touchy about his beginnings with Leon, due to the fact that he tried to drive Leon away by any means possible. He had never quite forgiven Leon, even though they were best friends.

"Yeah, we get it. Anyway, do you know anything about the newbie?" Esther hurriedly cut in, not wanting Hugue to get annoyed. She could see the green eyes beginning to glow in anger.

"Nope. Nothin' at all." Leon grinned. He watched the glow leave Hugue's eyes.

"Then we're all on the same page." Tres said quietly.

-----

"This is your room." A female nurse, who Abel hadn't really paid attention to, informed him, stopping in front of a door. She had said her name was Kate. Abel looked at her properly for the first time and saw that she was actually quite pretty, not that she was his type, but pretty nonetheless. She had long blonde hair that fell down to her waist **(2) **and clear blue eyes. And anyway, she was around twenty-one, Abel guessed, and he was sixteen. The idea of going out with someone five years older than him wasn't too appealing... even if there was anywhere to actually go out to. This place was so far away from civilisation it took at least an hour to get to the nearest town, Albion.

Abel realised what she had said, nodded his thanks and entered. Someone was already sitting on the bed furthest away from him with their back facing Abel. Abel quietly closed the door behind him, clearing his throat. The boy looked around at him, and Abel saw that his new roommate was around his age, with light brown hair and slanting chocolate brown eyes.

"Uh... hi. I'm new here, my name's Abel." He awkwardly introduced himself.

"Hn. I'm Tres." The boy, Tres, muttered, turning back away from Abel. Abel walked over to the bed that Tres wasn't sitting on and dumped his bag on it. Fortunately, he had been allowed to pack his own bag, and had hidden things that he knew he would need. He had anticipated that Cain might find out, and prepared himself for the circumstance. Abel rummaged through his clothes and found his favourite trainers at the bottom. They were old and worn, and closer to grey than white. The laces were rainbow-coloured but faded from age and washing, but Abel didn't care. The shoes were comfortable and easy to get on and off – he didn't have to untie the laces to get them on and off. He lifted them out of his case, the material of the inside comforting against his fingers. Abel tentatively shook them. He heard the almost-silent, yet welcoming rattle with a smile on his face. He had all he needed.

-------

**1 – I think it's Lillith...**

**2 – I'm improvising here, live with it.**

**So, how do you like it? I've found myself in a bit of a slump lately, so I decided I would do something different. Also, a message to people who have read Sweet Addiction, I give full credit for the initial idea, but I do take credit for the mental 'illnesses' that the characters have. Well, not that much. But anyway, I DO NOT claim this idea as my own, and if xxMikeyxx is reading this, I would like to congratulate him/her on a really cool story ^^**

**So, I'm outta here. See ya ^^**

**AB-chan**


	2. Don't Think Back

**Thank you so much for the first review, Yin! ^^ reviews equals love!**

**-----**

As he was putting his things back in his bag after taking out his pyjamas – linen trousers and a loose T-shirt – Abel felt someone watching him and turned round to see Tres staring at him intently. Abel met Tres' eyes nervously, expecting a lecture on rules or something like that.

"Hn... Abie, you said your name was?"

"No, Abel." Abel corrected.

Tres made a sort of 'kh' sound. "Whatevers. What are you in here for?"

This threw Abel off-balance completely. "What?"

"You know. This is a loony bin. You have to have a reason for being here." Tres stated.

"I'll tell you if you tell me." Abel defended himself, somehow feeling as if he was being judged.

"Ah. Too bad then." Tres shrugged, then turned back to what he was doing. Which led Abel to wonder, what _was_ Tres doing? Cautiously, Abel went over to Tres, who looked up. Now that Abel was nearer, he could see the pencil in Tres' right hand.

"Do you get homework or something?" Abel asked, his gray-blue eyes travelling to where a book of lined paper was on Tres' lap. Tres immediately covered the writing with his left arm and glared at Abel, who held up his hands. "Sorry, I was just interested." He apologised and went back to his bed.

"Hn." Was all Tres said.

-----

Later, when Abel got to the canteen, it was full. People were standing up, leaning against the walls. After getting some food, Abel scanned the room for Tres, and found him at a table with four other people. He noticed there was a chair next to Tres that was empty and wondered why no-one was sitting there. He made his way over to his roommate, not wanting to seem like a loner for eating on his own; he may have been in a mental facility but he still cared about people's opinions of him.

"Hey, Tres, do you mind if I sit here?" Abel asked quietly, not looking at the other people at the table.

"Hn."

"He don't mind." At the loud, lazy voice Abel instinctively looked up to see a boy with long, messy black hair and challenging dark brown eyes. "Getcha ass down if ya wanna sit." Abel raised an eyebrow at the language but sat nonetheless. "Hey kid, ya the new kid everyone's talkin' 'bout, ain'tcha?"

"No, Leon, he was just invisible until now." Another boy rolled his eyes – startlingly green eyes, Abel noticed – and looked at Leon, shaking his head. Between him and the first boy, Leon, was a skinny girl with bright red hair and baby blue eyes.

"Honestly, Leon. One, he's obviously the new kid, and two, that's all you say to him?" the red-headed girl reprimanded Leon, who mock-flinched.

"Whatever. Anyway, kid, what's ya name?" Leon asked.

"Abel."

"You're Tres' new roomie, ain'tcha?"

"Yeah, why?" Abel asked cautiously, nervous from all the questions.

"Tres isn't too social, let's just say that." the girl said quietly.

"Really? He seemed nice... enough..." Abel added the last word in an undertone.

"He must have been... never mind. Anyway, what are you in here for?" Abel felt a sense of déjà-vu at her words and realized that Tres had said the exact same thing to him about an hour ago.

"I... I don't want to talk about it." Abel cast his eyes downward, staring at his lap. He tried not to let tears fall as he remembered everything that Cain had said to him.

"Hey, you can't be as bad as me." The boy next to Tres leaned forward to look at Abel and the silver-haired was surprised to see that he was wearing a top hat and a jovial smile on his face. "I take things apart for fun, to see how they work... y'know, electrical stuff and that?"

"What's so wrong with that?" Abel asked, blinking away the salt water that had formed in his eyes.

"I tried making my own thing and it went a little wrong. It's the reason I wear a hat." The smile never wavered from his face. At that moment, the bell rang and people started leaving the canteen. Abel realized that he hadn't eaten at all.

"Don't worry. They let you take your food to your room... unless you're anorexic." The boy with green eyes said quietly. "You aren't anorexic, are you?" Abel shook his head. "Then you can." With that, the boy left stood, and left. Abel stared after him, speechless.

"Don't mind him. He's a bit anti-social." The red-haired girl smiled slightly.

"A bit? He tried to drive Leon out of his room!" the boy wearing the hat threw up his hands in exasperation.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Whatever. C'mon, we should go. We have general therapy on Thursday mornings."

"Don't remind me." Leon said, and departed.

"Today is... Wednesday?" Abel wondered aloud. He'd lost track of days when he was in hospital.

"Hn. Come on, Abie." Tres stood up, grabbed Abel by the wrist and all but dragged him off.

-----

"Abie?"

"It's Abel."

"Whatevers. Anyway, why don't you want to talk about why you're here?"

Abel looked away. "It makes me think of other things... things that I don't want to think about, much less talk about." Things like Cain, Lillith. Seth. His weakness.

"Family?"

The word made Abel let out a noise that was a sort of cross between a whimper and a snort of laughter. "Family. Tch. Not exactly... but I guess you could say that." A tiny smirk found its way to Abel's pale lips, but his eyes remained sad.

"Are you... an orphan?" Tres asked quietly.

"Again, I guess you could say that." He had never had parents... but figuratively speaking, he was an orphan.

"You say 'you could say that' and you don't tell me what you really mean." Tres sighed.

"I just don't want to talk about it to anyone just yet." Abel felt a tear slip down his face. He froze in shock when Tres raised his hand to wipe it away.

"Well... just tell me when you're ready. I'll always be here to talk to." Tres got up and went over to his own bed.

Abel sat still, thinking over what had just happened. He could still feel Tres' finger so softly against his cheek, and wondered why small tingles had run through his body at the touch.

-----

**So, second chapter! Thanks loads to Yin... or YinDigi now you've got an account ^^ please tell me what you think peoples!**

**Luvs ya all,**

**AB-chan**


	3. Game: Q and A

**^^ Yet another chapter here! I'm trying to keep the A/N's at the end, so I'll shut up now.**

**-----**

"_Cain, just tell me! I can handle whatever you have to throw at me!"_

"_Is that so?" mocking. Patronizing. "Then you can handle the fact that you have no real parents?"_

"_Wh-what?!" no real parents? What the heck was Cain talking about?_

"_Yes, no real parents. Ever heard of a test-tube baby?" a cruel, cold smirk._

"_You're lying!" denial._

"_I wish it were so. Us four... you, me, Lillith and Seth... we are all from the same DNA string, slightly modified... we are all siblings, but we have no parents. You and Lillith... one would call it incest."_

"_No!" flying fists, intended to hurt. Landing on Cain's chest. Doing nothing. Tears soaking into a white shirt. Strong arms moving... but not to hold. To push away. Cain pushes away the one that needs his comfort. Tears drop onto the cold stone floor, stinging hot against cold._

"_I... I hate you, Cain."_

-----

"I hate you..." Abel whispered. "I hate you."

His eyes flew open and he jerked awake, breathing slightly heavily. Tears had run tracks down his temples and into his hair. Abel looked over to Tres and saw, with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, that Tres was sitting up and staring at Abel curiously, his brown hair sticking up all over the place.

"Who do you hate?"

"You never give up, do you?" Abel sighed.

"I just want to know you."

Abel shook his head tiredly and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It read 6:47.

"What time is general therapy?"

"Half seven." Tres replied without missing a beat.

"Thanks. I'm gonna go get changed then."

Abel grabbed some clothes from his bag as well as his favourite trainers. He held them carefully so that Tres wouldn't hear the rattle. He walked into the bathroom and locked the door; he didn't quite trust Tres not to walk in on him. He reached inside his trainers and pulled the small bottle out, smirking. Once again, he was breaking the rules. Abel unscrewed the bottle, raised it to his lips, tilted it back and swallowed.

He waited apprehensively for a few seconds, and his smirk became wider as numbness spread through his mind. Ah... the relief... something he was familiar with, at last.

But he knew it wouldn't last. He quickly changed, put the bottle in 'his' side of the cabinet behind his other things so it was hidden, put on his trainers and came out of the bathroom. His mind was still slightly more at ease than usual.

"Who do you hate?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I want to know you!"

"I don't want you to know me!"

"Why not?"

"It's _my privacy_!"

"It's my curiosity!"

"Damn you!"

"Damn you too!"

"...Do you ever give up?"

"Nope." Tres said happily.

"Fine... we'll play a game. I ask a question, you answer. Then you ask me a question and I answer. Seems fair?"

"How many questions?"

"As many as we need."

"Okay." Tres smiled. "You first."

"What are you in here for?"

"MPD. And I'm kinda bipolar too."

"...come again?"

"Multiple Personality Disorder." Tres' eyes seemed to darken before returning to their normal colour. "My turn now. Who do you hate?"

"My brother. What happens when you become your 'other half'?"

"I could show you if you like." Abel shook his head. "Fine, I'll just tell you. I call him Duo **(1)**. He's rude, violent, aggressive and a masochist."

"Ouch."

"So, tell me about your brother. Why do you hate him?"

"He... he controls my life, basically. Even though we're the same age, he acts like he's at least three years older than me. He told me the truth... after lying to me my whole life. And he... he hurt me and my sister in worse ways than you could imagine." Abel's voice wavered.

"How?" Tres whispered.

"Hey, that's not fair." Abel pouted. "I still have a question to ask you before you ask me. Okay, how long have you been in here?"

"Hn... nineteen months, about. My question. How did your brother hurt you?"

"He... killed. He killed the one that I loved." _Lillith._

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault. It's not as if you killed her."

"But... it's still..."

"No worries. Seriously. Anywho... ah, I can't think of any more questions---" Abel was cut off by the bell sounding, signalling that it was five minutes until their first 'lesson', and also that the canteen was opening. "Hey, have we really been talking this long?"

"It would seem so. C'mon, it wouldn't do you good to be late to your first ever session." Tres grabbed Abel's wrist and dragged him out of the room.

"Hey, wait, I haven't got my trainers on!" Abel protested, struggling against Tres' grip. Tres let go, pausing to wait for Abel. The silver-haired boy quickly put on his shoes, and jumped up.

"Hn... is the game still on?" Tres asked as they hurried to the general therapy room.

"The game... damn you, you made me lose the game!" Abel mock-yelled.

"Huh...? The game?" Tres said, confused.

"Ah, I'll tell you later. Anyway, yeah, I guess our game is still on."

"Okay... you never told me what you're in here for." Just then, though, they got to the room.

"I'll tell you after therapy." Abel promised, opening the door and entering.

The room was plain and white, and smelled of... nothing. Leon, the blonde boy and the red-haired girl were already there and sitting down. A moment later, the boy wearing the hat skidded into the room, gasping for breath. The bell rang loudly.

"Yes! I'm not late!" he declared, punching the air.

Leon shook his head, rolling his eyes. Then he spotted Abel, and called to him. "Hey, kid, getcha ass down here!" Abel went and sat next to him, dragging Tres along with him. Tres raised an eyebrow at the reversal in positions, but obliged and sat down beside Abel. The nurse who had escorted Abel to his room the day before, Kate, walked in.

"William, sit down please. Ah, Abel, so nice of you to join us." Abel nodded. "Since we have a new student, I would like you to introduce yourselves, and also say something about yourself. Esther, you can go first."

"I'm Esther, and I play a lot of sport."

"Hugue de Watteau... and my favourite song is Pain, by Three Days Grace." Hugue's eyes bored into Abel's and he gulped.

"Stupid self-harmer." Leon said in an undertone.

"Hmph, Abel 'ready knows me, I'm Leon. But... something 'bout myself... the voices never lie, if ya get my drift?" Kate shook her head condescendingly, while Hugue muttered 'Idiot schizophrenic.'

"Uh... I'm Abel Nightroad, _not_ Abie." At this point, Abel looked pointedly at Tres. "And I... I hate darkness."

"Tres. If you annoy me, I'll set Duo on you **(2)**." Tres smirked. A few eyebrows were raised but no-one seemed that surprised by Tres' threat.

"My name is William W. Wordsworth and one day I'm going to be a famous inventor!"

Everyone face-palmed, even Kate. "Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions about what we should do today?"

"We get to choose?" Abel asked, surprised.

"Hn." Tres muttered.

"Can we draw?" Esther asked.

"If you wish."

And so the lesson went on... but Abel's mind wasn't on it. He knew that once it was finished, he would have to tell Tres what was going on.

-----

**1 – I hope I got it right... I know he's HC-IIX.**

**2 – A threat ItachisPurpleChakra has used on me, but she said she would set Hidan on me.**

**Hey, I found out that xxMikeyxx is a girl (oops). So sorry for saying you're a guy (if you're reading this, which I doubt... cuz I'm a crap writer). ^^ anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm annoyed at writing the third chapter with only two reviews, perhaps by the time I upload it I'll have more. *hint hint nudge nudge* but that says maybe. Perhaps, perhaps. Hey, does anyone know what that's from? **_**If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs...**_** That's from Holes. ^^ **

**Oh yeah, something I should tell ya, ItachisPurpleChakra is kinda my beta... we're kind co-writing this... **_**yeah, we're co-writing it you idiot! Turnip-head. Oh yeah, this is me, guys ^.^ from now, the italics writing in the A/Ns are gonna be me! Get used to it, Abie. **_**You're evil. **_**I know I am. **_**...That wasn't a compliment. **_**...What?!**_

**Eep! I run away ^^**

**Well, until next chapter!**

**AB-chan**

**xLucyH**


	4. Confessions And Realizations

_**I decided I would start off the chapter this time, and let AB end it. AB refers to me as IPC now, just to avoid confusion. Anyway, I'd just like to say thanks to all my reviewers, and that I'm trying to write... but this is the only fic that I haven't got writer's block on *cries* I can't even write my vampyre story!!! *crying in a corner* on top of that, I had my cancer jab... my arm hurts! **_

_**Anyway, here's the next chapter... enjoy!**_

_**-----**_

"Hey, we gotta go get breakfast!" Leon said, dragging Abel to the canteen.

"Why do people keep dragging me around?" Abel sighed.

"Because it's fun!" Esther called happily.

"...hn." Tres murmured, his mind somewhere else. He was still trying to work out what Abel's disorder was. Disorder. Tres let out a tiny snort, unnoticed by the others. He preferred to think of them as 'specialities'. Multiple Personality _Disorder_. Why was it a disorder? Something _wrong_ in his DNA? In his mind? His body? Tres despised the word _disorder_.

"Hey, Tres, are you coming?" Abel's voice jerked him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah..." Tres ran to catch up with the others, having stopped walking somewhere along the way.

'_**I think you're entering my type of thought process...' **_Duo taunted Tres.

'_What do you mean?' Tres asked in his mind._

'_**I mean, your hatred of a word... that sort of thing is what **_**I**_** think, not you.**__' _Duo smirked.

'_Hn.'_ Tres left the mindscape and turned back to the outside world. Somehow he was at the canteen, behind Abel. He registered Abel's hand on his wrist and realized that Abel had dragged him there.

For some reason, Tres liked the feel on Abel's skin on his.

-----

Abel couldn't relax. He knew that he would have to tell Tres about his... 'affliction'. He kept his eyes down, not engaging in any conversation whatsoever. He jumped when he felt a hand touch his wrist gently.

"Hey, are you all right?" Tres asked quietly. He was the only one who hadn't talked to Abel yet throughout the time they were eating.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." Abel murmured. Tres didn't seem convinced, but didn't press the matter either.

-----

"Do we have a lesson now?" Abel asked Tres as the bell went.

"No, not today. We have a free period at the moment." Tres said. "Forty-five minutes."

They went to their room; purely because Abel didn't know his way around and he didn't want to talk to anyone else. After all, if he had to tell Tres, he didn't want other people to overhear. It probably wouldn't make too much of a difference; the walls were paper-thin.

"Abie?" Tres asked.

"It's _Abel_!" Abel mock-hit Tres.

"Whatevers!" Tres whapped **(1)** Abel on the back of the head, messing up his hair.

"Ow! I thought you had something to ask me, anyway." Abel glanced at Tres then away.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

It was odd, but for some reason, a small part of Abel wanted to tell Tres. Of course, the larger, but no more significant part was dead against it. He internally struggled for a few seconds, then the smaller part won. "No... I should tell you." Abel nervously met Tres' eyes. "I... I OD'd."

"O-Overdosed?" Tres asked, hoping he'd heard wrong.

Abel nodded, his eyes blurry with tears.

"But... why?" Tres whispered. Abel had always seemed so happy.

"Everything, I guess... you know I said my brother killed the one I loved? Her name was Lillith... I think it was probably a pity relationship, or because we were the same... but even though I knew it, I loved her, so much. But Cain killed her. I don't know why... but he did." Tears fell down Abel's face. "That was when I started. Neither Cain nor Seth knew. I couldn't tell Seth; she was too young. My younger sister." Abel added, in response to Tres' confused look. "I don't think Cain knew, at least. He never showed any sign that he did... then again, he was always good at acting. But the insults never changed. He would always put me down... he only talked to me if he had to. He was the same as me... but he was always better." Abel's tears caught in his throat and he started sobbing. Tres put an arm round him and hugged him tightly. "I don't know what I did to make him hate me... I don't know what I did wrong..." his voice came out muffled by Tres' top.

"I started taking drugs... pills, injections... anything I could find. Occasionally I drank myself unconscious, but that was only when it was really bad. Usually I would just get drunk and stay in my room. After a while, though, I realized that drinking lost its effect... I had started to use alcohol solely by then." Abel pulled away from Tres' embrace, wiping his eyes. He didn't meet Tres' gaze, preferring to look at his lap.

"So I went back to the drugs... but I didn't realize it took me less drugs than alcohol to help. Cain began to notice that I was becoming different, and started insulting me more; not just avoiding me, but ignoring me completely. Seth tried to bridge the gap, but Cain ended up hurting her too. Not physically," Abel added. "Just being mean to her. Ordering her around and that sometimes. And he became worse towards me. It had been going on for... three, three and a half years? Around about that. It grew steadily worse in the last year, until it became physical. At least, for me. I think it was below Cain to hit a girl. But he had no problem with hurting me... so he did. Repeatedly. He didn't hurt me too badly, at first... but then I think his self-control slipped.

"And that was when I decided I'd had enough. When Cain was out one evening and I was taking painkillers for my injuries, I guess I thought something like 'Why not go over? Why not take the injection as well? And maybe some more pills?'" Abel sighed, a bitter smile on his face. "So I kept going and going... and I was just falling unconscious when it all went wrong. Cain came in. I hadn't noticed him until then... I was too caught up in my self-congratulation." Tres looked in question at Abel. "For finally stepping over the invisible boundary. For overcoming my fear that I would never wake up. I wasn't thinking about Seth... I wasn't really thinking about Cain either. I was just thinking about myself and how I would finally be free." Abel laughed humourlessly.

"Free my ass, it turned out. Cain just stood there for a couple of seconds. I couldn't really think clearly, but I pretended to myself for a while that he felt some regret. A while being a few minutes while I was between sleep and wake. But no such luck. I woke properly, in hospital, and the first thing I saw was Cain... he was cold and unemotional as always. He told me I was being sent here... and then he left. I didn't see him again until the day I came here. And he didn't speak a word to me."

Abel laughed again, but it was soon followed by tears. Tres hugged him once again, and Abel relaxed against the warm, firm chest and broke down. Tres rubbed Abel's back comfortingly, rocking back and forth gently. "It's okay... you're here now..." he murmured. Abel took several long, shaky breaths, but didn't move from the position he was in. He felt safe where he was. He could smell Tres' scent on his T-shirt; it was clean and warm, not like Cain, who was clean but cold.

A sudden thought came to Abel then. Why did he so much enjoy being around Tres? This was only his second day at St Alessandro's. It was just comfort. That was it.

The same thought occurred to Tres. He usually never liked to touch people, or people to touch him, yet here he was with Abel, a newcomer, in his arms. Admittedly, Abel was crying. But still, it didn't make sense.

'_**You like him.' **_Duo taunted him.

'_What the heck?!' _Tres mentally yelled.

'_**Yeah, you have a thing for him. Why else would you...' **_Duo smirked, leaving Tres to finish off the sentence.

'_...As much as I hate to admit it, I think you're right.'_

-----

**1 – Is that a word? A lot of people use it...**

**Aaaaaand, we're done for this chapter! Thanks to all the people who have reviewed this, who are: YiniDigi and InLuvWithMicky who have both reviewed twice! ^^ you two inspire me and IPC to keep writing!**

**About the story: Who guessed that Abel was a drug case? I was originally going to have him with MPD, but then I remembered Duo... and I'm trying to have them all with different problems. For those of you who haven't read last chapter properly, Leon is schizophrenic, and Hugue self-harms. William is just a little wrong in the head. You find out what's wrong with Esther later, but it doesn't matter that much.**

**And now, Tres has admitted to himself (and Duo) that he likes Abel.**

**So! Please review, I worked really hard on this chapter! ^^**

**Bye for now!**

**AB-chan**

_**xLucyH**_


	5. News And An Unwelcome Visitor

_**Hope ya all liked the last chapter cuz we're back with the next!! ^.^ **_

_**By the way, there's a song that I've recently gotten obsessed with, it's **_**Trust In You – The Offspring**_**. It really reminds me of Tres... I may do a fic for that ^.^ also, if anyone likes Tsubasa (namely Fai) then you should really hear this song: **_**Remembering Sunday – All Time Low**_**. I know it's about a girl, but it sounds like Fai's kind of song... I'm a little crazy.**_

_**Oh yeah, just so you know, I'm throwing in an OC, you'll know when ya get to him. (He's male by the way). Plus, be ready for an old 'friend' to make an appearance... so, on with the story!**_

-----

It had been two weeks since Abel spilled his secret to Tres. Abel had adapted to life at St Alessandro's quickly, and gotten to know most of the people there. He had even made friends with a few of the 'haemophiliacs' that Leon and the others usually stayed away from. They were referred to as haemophiliacs, but in actuality they were people who liked to drink their own blood, and others' if they could find it. Some of the others called them vampires, jokingly of course; legends were strongly believed at St Alessandro's. The 'vampires' that Abel had made friends with now sat at two conjoined tables with Abel's original group of friends. Esther sat next to a pale-blonde haired boy named Ion Fortuna, on whose other side was Radu Barvon. It was not-so-common knowledge that Ion, Radu and the other 'vampire', Astharoshe Asran, were actually nobility.

"Hey, we gotcha some news!" Leon said excitedly, nearly colliding into some chairs as he skidded towards the table. Everyone looked up interestedly. "There's gonna be a new guy, in about two days!"

"Do you know his name?" Abel wondered aloud.

"Harry, we think... somethin' like, anyway." Leon shrugged, dropping into his chair. "It begins with H an' ends with Y." Hugue rolled his eyes at Leon's vagueness.

Tres and Abel shared a glance, remembering how Abel's first day was.

-----

Abel and Tres looked at the open door in silence, Abel staring, shocked, and Tres with a raised eyebrow.

"And how the _hell_ didn't I notice this?!" Abel yelled.

"Because you're an idiot?" Tres suggested, walking into the room. It was another bedroom with only one bed in it, around half the size of Abel and Tres'. It smelled new, and Abel wrinkled his nose, used to the scent of his own room. Kate shook her head at both the boys' reactions.

"Listen up. I want you to make your new roommate, Henry, feel welcome here, okay? He'll be arriving on Thursday." With that, Kate left.

-----

During the past two weeks, Abel had explored the building of St Alessandro's, and soon found out that there was a library there. Said library also had around thirty computers, which the inhabitants of the facility were allowed to use at any time between 6am and 11pm. At the moment it was 2pm, and Abel, Tres, Leon, William, Esther and Hugue were in the library, on the computers nearest the corner. Since there was no talking allowed in the library, they all had IM up in case they wanted to talk, which they did at the moment.

_Yo Abel I herd the new kid's gonna b in ur room? _Leon sent into the chatbox.

_Yeah, btw his name is Henry, not Harry._

_...I was close tho. _At this, the entire group laughed, earning a glare from the librarian. Abel closed his IM window and started up Sibelius**(1)**, a music writing software he had discovered recently, then plugged in his iPod earphones. He had, before he quit school, been interested in writing his favourite songs into piano, just for fun. At the moment he was working on a song by The Offspring, called Half-Truism. Luckily he was allowed to use his iPod in the library, which made writing the stuff easier.

A hand on his shoulder made him look up; he paused his iPod and gazed at Tres. "What?"

"The bell rang. C'mon, we have Art."

Abel groaned, not because he didn't like Art but because he had to go. He saved his work and logged off the computer, muttered things along the lines of 'stupid bells' and 'I fucking hate you all'. Tres just laughed. They followed the others out of the library and into D block **(2) **where Art was. Abel actually really liked Art, at least at the moment. They were doing a project on manga and he got to work with Tres, Leon and Esther on it. He had found out that Leon, despite being loud and outgoing, liked to draw. Leon wasn't all that good at manga in particular, but he was the best in the class for real-life drawings. Esther couldn't draw for toffee. But Tres... Tres was a whole other story. Abel often told Tres that he should be an artist when he got out of St Alessandro's.

Abel himself wasn't amazing at manga; he was quite good, but nowhere near Tres. He preferred to write. He often got told off during lessons for writing when he should have been working, but still kept on**(3)**. Curriculums, quote Abel, 'totally sucked'**(4)**.

"Maa, wake up Abel." Esther tapped Abel on the shoulder. Abel looked up from his writing, pouting. "Don't give me that look, Tres is doing all the work!"

"Fine, fine..." Abel glanced at the work Tres had done. They had decided that they would do a poster of all the Naruto characters they could think of. It was pretty simple; they would just add more whenever. Working on the project was more fun than he'd initially thought it would be too. Leon usually skipped class and Esther saw her therapist often (for god knows what) so it gave him a chance to be near to Tres. For some reason he liked Tres' company, more than he would a friend's, or even best friend's, for that matter. It didn't bother Abel too much; he'd always had suspicions he was gay. He'd never really liked any girl except for Lillith, and that was more a hurt/comfort/pity relationship than anything.

It was more the fact that he had fallen for Tres. Tres, who would never like Abel. At least, that was what Abel thought. What he didn't know was that Tres had fully come to terms with the fact that he liked Abel.

The bell jerked both teenagers**(5)** out of their thoughts. Thankfully, it was the end of the school day, and since it was a Tuesday, neither Tres nor Abel had therapy. They packed up their stuff and walked back to the dorms, chatting about random things. On their way to the dorm, they passed reception.

"Hey, Tres, I have something I need to give in to reception. Will you wait for me?" Abel asked, and without waiting for an answer, dragged Tres into the building. He dropped the slip onto the counter and turned around, ready to leave, and stopped dead in his tracks. Tres remained a step behind, and looked up, wondering why Abel had frozen. His eyes fell on the person in the doorway.

"C-Cain?"

-----

**CLIFFIE!!! WOOOT! Don't you just LOVE them?**

**1 – **_**actually, I've confirmed that Sibelius is CRAP.**_

**2 – IPC is basing St Alessandro's on her school.**

**3 – **_**I dunno how many times I've got detention for writing in class ^.^**_

**4 – I agree on this, IPC. We don't get to do anything interesting in Art... T.T**

**5 – They're like, sixteen in this? **_**Sixteen. But Esther is fifteen cuz I don't like her.**_

**Hope ya all liked this! ...IPC is rubbing off on me. Not that it's a bad thing! **_**It had better not be. **_**Meep! **_***growls menacingly***_ **How the heck did you even get in my A/Ns?! *screams* STALKER!!!**

_**...you retard.**_

**Whatever. I'm going now, so you can finish off the A/N. Bye!**

**AB-chan**

_**...He's such an idiot. Anyway, please review! Reviews make us happy! As in, me, AB and Hidan, mah shadow! E-yoh, I have a shadow ^.^**_

_**I'm outta here for now, see ya in the next chapter!**_

_**xLucyH**_


	6. Remember The Rules

_**Hey all! Hope you're all well and that we didn't bore you in the last chapter... long paragraphs T.T**_

_**Something I thought was kinda funny, I was writing this in school! ^.^ I got told off for writing it, mainly because it was in my planner XD**_

_**Ohmygawsh, I'm reading TB online... and I got to the bit where Abel shoots Tres, I nearly cried! *sniff* why is Tres so MEAN?!**_

_**...Hang on, now he apologised... and OMFG WTF IS HAPPENING TO CATERINA?!**_

_**OHMYGAWSH I THINK I'VE JUST FALLEN IN LOVE WITH CAIN! He's such a bastard in the anime but he's so funny in the manga!! 33**_

_**Because it's what I've been going with I'll keep him being a bastard. **_**Too damn right, look what he does to poor Abel!**

_**Out of my A/N. NOW!**_

_**A little bit of randomness: FLAMING TURTLE OF DESTINY!!!!**_

-----

"C-Cain?" Abel whispered, eyes locked on the figure walking towards him.

_Cain? Abel's brother? _Tres thought, his mind racing. Even Duo looked up in surprise. Tres noticed that this person looked almost identical to Abel except that he was taller, and had shorter blonde hair. Plus the expression he wore was completely cold, if anything.

"Abel." Cain greeted, said expression not changing. Abel shuddered at the familiar cold voice. Tres gritted his teeth in anger, but instead of doing anything to Cain (aside from death-glaring him with murderous intent), he took Abel's hand in his. Abel stepped backwards, towards Tres and away from Cain.

'_**Want me to...?**_**'** Duo suggested.

'_I'll handle him on my own... and only if Abie asks me to.'_

'_**...Protect him, Tres.**_' Duo's words threw Tres.

'_Since when did _you _care about Abie?'_

'_**He makes you happy... and he just doesn't deserve to be treated like that by Cain, to the point that he's like **_**that**_**.**_' Duo pointed out. Of course, that was true; Tres could feel fear coming off Abel almost tangibly**(1)**. Tres instinctively tightened his grip on Abel's hand.

"You're Abie's brother." Tres stated, keeping the anger out of his voice. Abel didn't speak about Cain much, but he knew enough to hate Cain with a passion. The way Abel was pressing himself against Tres, trying desperately to get away from Cain, told him more than Abel ever would about how scared the silver-haired was of Cain.

"I am Abel's brother, that is correct. And who might you be?" courteous. Calm. _Cold._ It made Tres even angrier that Cain did nothing to acknowledge the hate in his eyes.

"Abie's best friend." Tres replied, willing daggers to throw themselves at Cain and kill him. Of course, nothing happened. But he didn't expect it to.

"I wish to speak with my brother. Privately." Instead, Tres pulled Abel closer to him.

"If that is what my older brother wishes then that is what will happen." Abel's quiet voice sounded like his death sentence, even to his own ears. Tres looked at Abel, eyes widened in shock.

"A-Abie?" but said teenager pushed himself away from Tres, shaking but showing no intention of backing down.

The main thing to Abel: show no weakness and you don't get punished so much.

Too bad the weakness was showing.

"Come." Cain beckoned to Abel, who had no choice but to follow Cain into a room leading off from the main. Tres remained standing there, as if frozen.

The loud _slap_ resounded across the carpeted floor and plaster walls; Abel's head jerked to the side with the force of the blow. "Long time, no see."

Abel stayed silent, tears of pain stinging his eyes.

Tres crept silently to the door that Cain had closed behind him. He couldn't hear anything, save for breathing... calm breathing and quick, uneven breaths, undoubtedly belonging to Abel. He sounded as if he was trying hard not to cry.

"Little brother... you disappoint me." Cain's voice carried clearly, unemotional as ever.

"As if you have the capacity to feel disappointed." Abel retaliated. Another loud slap sounded. Tres winced as if it were him being hit, not Abel.

"Remember the rules, younger brother? You talk back and you are punished." A small quiver of anger, only just discernable.

Abel bit back a retort, knowing it would only get worse for him if he opened his mouth.

"Your _friend_... the one who was with you."

"What about him?" mistake.

Slap.

"Frankly speaking, I don't want a gay younger brother."

Abel choked on air. "G-gay?!"

Slap.

"Yes, gay. Homosexual."

"I'm very well aware of what gay means---" another mistake.

Slap.

A pained cry escaped from Abel's lips.

It took all of Tres' willpower not to run in and set Duo on Cain.

"Why do you get the impression that I'm gay?"

"Because he was holding your hand."

"So? That was only after I had seen you standing there---" yet another mistake, yet another slap. "What would you expect---" and another.

Slap.

This time, Abel didn't try to carry on speaking.

"You disgust me."

"What, does your 'gay' younger brother make you feel sick? Am I too freakish for you?!"

Slap.

Sounds of people moving.

A cry of surprise.

A thud. Heavy breathing.

Tres dared a look into the room and saw Cain pressing Abel against a wall with his forearm, his back to the door. Abel's face was streaked with tears and there were red marks where Cain's hand had connected with the skin.

Abel lashed out with his arms, but they were pinned down by Cain's free hand. He kicked and struggled, a foot landing in Cain's stomach, but he wasn't released. Cain pressed harder against Abel's throat.

"Yes. You are too 'freakish'." Cain spoke in a low, menacing voice while still managing to sound emotionless. Abel stopped fighting, running out of breath. Cain let go of him, and Abel fell to the floor, gasping for air. At this point, Tres couldn't handle standing around and he ran in, kneeling beside Abel.

"What did you do that for?!" Tres yelled, pulling Abel into his arms.

"And you... stay out of this business. It is none of your concern." Tres felt a discomfort at the bottom of his stomach to see pure, unwavering hate in Cain's eyes.

"It _is_ my concern when it comes to Abel." Tres replied quietly yet forcefully. Cain narrowed his eyes, then turned to leave, long white coat swishing behind him.

With Cain gone, Tres turned his attention back to Abel. "Are you okay?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine." Abel muttered, dragging his wrist across his eyes. Tres looked at him, as if to say 'of course you are. Of _course._' "Believe me, it's not nearly as bad as what he's done before."

"It doesn't change the fact that he hurt you." Tres was surprised at the anger in his voice, and the rage he felt stirring inside of him.

"Honestly, Tres. You worry too much." Abel tried to stand up but found himself held back by Tres.

"You say you're fine but you obviously aren't. How can I help if you won't admit you're hurt?" Tres asked softly.

"I'm not hurt!" Abel yelled, and stormed out of the building.

"Wait!" Tres called, running after him.

But by the time he got outside, Abel was already long gone.

Alone in the pouring rain, in the grass outside the Elms building, Tres dropped to his knees, desperately shouting Abel's name.

Under shelter but just as much alone, on the hard concrete beneath the ledge that hung over D block, Abel curled up against a wall, whispering 'Tres'.

-----

**1 – touch-able. Lol.**

**Hm, we're so mean to our characters. Poor Abel, he gets so abused. **_**Ya know, it's your own muse we're hurting. **_**What the--?! **_**Yep. I have fun... and you know he's gonna be uke when it comes to it.**_

**...I can deal with that.**

_**Even though you're dominant in real life?**_

**How the hey did you know?!**

_**I have my ways. Anyway, please review! Reviews make Abel less melodramatic! --- lol, did I spell that right?**_

_**See ya for now!**_

_**xLH**_

**AB-chan**


	7. Rain

_**Sorry for being so mean to them last chapter, I'll be nicer this time ^.^ hey, is it just me or is my text style different now? **_**What, here? **_**Yes, here! You idiot! **_**Well, it's different. Happy now? **_**Not particularly. I'm gonna see if I can change that. The text, I mean. ...It didn't work, shit! **_**Naughty, naughty. Mind your language, IPC. **_**Shut the fuck up, turnip-head. **_**Whatever, let's just get this chapter done? **_**Fine.**_

_**Anyway, I'd just like to thank our reviewers, they make us all happy!**_

_**So, on with the story!**_

-----

After half a minute, Tres stopped crying and stood up, wondering where Abel might have gone. He definitely wouldn't have gone to the dorm; he knew Abel knew that would be the first place to look. He then ran through all the places there was shelter: outside A block, D block, B block and M block. Tres figured he could just go in a loop, starting at M block. The last place he would cover would be D block, and Tres silently prayed to whatever god there was that Abel wasn't under D block.

Abel was getting colder every second; it was winter, and raining. But there was one good thing about it – Cain would be caught in this weather too. Too bad Tres was as well. He felt as if he should find Tres and apologise, but he couldn't. He wouldn't be able to face Tres after that.

Plus, he was freezing.

-----

Tres shook his hair out of his eyes, narrowly missing a tree. His breath ripped at his throat, already sore from shouting Abel's name.

A block down, only two more to go. He nearly slipped because of a puddle, but righted himself and carried on running.

B block down.

Tres ran faster, despite the fact that he was soaking wet, frozen to the core and his throat was burning from yelling. He skidded to a halt outside D block. His eyes scanned along the dark area under the ledge, fear seeping deeper into him when he couldn't see Abel. He stepped forwards, shielding his chocolate-brown eyes from the rain with his hand.

Abel noticed none of this, thankfully (for him) in the unfeeling bliss of unconsciousness.

Tres dropped to his knees, tears mingling with rain. Then he saw it – the small huddle of _something_ that he knew had to be Abel. He cautiously made his way over, and carefully pulled Abel closer to him, still under the ledge.

He nearly had a heart attack when he saw that Abel's eyes were closed. He frantically felt for a pulse, sighing in relief when he found one.

Now, to get Abel back to the dorm.

-----

Hugue raised a hand to knock on Tres and Abel's door. The room was quiet; even with his acute hearing... nothing. "Tres?" he tentatively asked.

"Guys?" Leon called, then turned to Hugue and shrugged. Hugue looked thoughtful for a second, then took out his phone and dialled Tres' number.

On the other end of the line, suddenly the song 'Ik Ben Een Kuikentje' started playing. Abel had wittingly chosen that as the ringtone whenever Leon, Hugue, Esther, William, Ion, Radu or Astherose called Tres. If Abel called him, the theme song for DNAngel would play. Usually it annoyed the heck out of Tres, but at this moment in time he couldn't find the strength to be annoyed, especially at Abel.

Tres slid open his phone, and muttered a distracted 'hello?'

"Tres, thank god you picked up." Hugue said, relieved. "Why aren't you in your dorm?"

"In the pourin' rain, 's well!" Leon added.

"I'll explain later, but can you get to D block?"

"Now?" Hugue did a double take.

"Yes, now!" Tres nearly yelled. '_**We have to get him inside, quickly. He could get pneumonia or something.**_' Duo spoke up.

'_I know that._' Tres thought tersely, even though he knew it wasn't Duo's fault that these things were happening. It was Cain's fault, and partly Tres' own, too.

"Okay, we're on our way." Hugue said, and flipped his phone off. Without another word, he glanced at Leon, then began running down the stairs as quickly as possible. A well-known fact: if Tres raises his voice, it must be serious.

Leon caught on less than a second later, and hurtled after Hugue.

-----

"Goddammit, Abie! Wake up already!" Tres demanded, not that anyone (much less Abel) would hear him. He looked up, wondering how long it would take Hugue and Leon to get to him. Both of them were very quick runners, faster than Tres. But the rain would slow them down considerably. "Please, Abel. Please wake up."

He leaned down and softly brushed his tear-stained lips against Abel's cold ones.

"Please."

-----

"He said D block, right?" Leon asked Hugue, as they were streaking past A block.

"Yeah. I have no idea why-" Hugue was cut off as Leon cried out in shock and surprise, falling heavily. "Leon?" Hugue ran back to his best friend, who had curled in on himself, whimpering softly and holding his head.

"Too many..." Leon moaned quietly, shaking. "Too loud..."

"What happened?" Hugue placed a hand on Leon's shoulder.

"He can't answer." Leon said, his voice unlike his own. He lifted his head, an insane smirk on his face.

"Oh no... when did you last take your meds?" Hugue asked worriedly, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd only once had to deal with Leon when he was like this, and only just managed it.

"Wouldn't _you _like to know?" 'Leon' cackled evilly.

Just then, Hugue's phone vibrated in his pocket. He opened it, still keeping a wary eye on 'Leon'.

"Hugue, where are you?" Esther's voice came over slightly cracked due to the weather.

"Near A block but don't come. Leon didn't take his medication when he was meant to." Hugue informed her grimly. "Can you call Tres and tell him that I can't help him?"

"Help him with what?"

"Please! Just tell him-" 'Leon' knocked the phone out of Hugue's grip, and it skidded across the concrete and smashed into a wall, where it broke.

Hugue felt fear creep into him; he was alone with one of Leon's many personalities and it was raining.

'Leon' smirked.

-----

**Well, not as long as the other chapters but whatever. I'm finally on half-term so I can relax (yay!) and that means I'll probably be able to update more! (get the pun? Abel will be able to update... whatever.)**

**Well, peace out guys.**

**AB-chan**

_**Oh, sure, leave ME to pick up where you left off. Tch. Anyway, please review!**_

_**And don't worry – Hugue gets out of it okay. ^.^**_

_**xLucyH**_


	8. Steel Handed Stranger

_**Hey all! We're back with the next chapter, can you believe it's already been 8 of them? **_**I know! This is my longest fic yet! I'm so happy! **_**...okay, then.**_

_**Anyway, you have a little surprise in store for ya, so be prepared!**_

_**Disclaimer: We don't own Trinity Blood (owned by THORES and Sunao Yoshida), or Markus 'Slash' Kaine (owned by DoomsEye), but I do own Henry, my OC. I own Henry because I personally handed him his whooped ass in Martial Arts class.**_

_**Hey, look at the coolness of this!**_

O o  
/ _________________________  
| | DOCTOR OCTOGONAPUS!!!  
\__

_**Hopefully the format will allow that.**_

_**So, let the chapter commence!**_

-----

"Please..." Tres whispered. Tears slid down his face, mingling with rain and dripping onto Abel's pale face. Grey-blue eyes fluttered open hazily and met chocolate brown. "Abie..."

"Tres?" Abel murmured.

"No, the pink elephant. Of course it's me!" Tres laughed weakly. He hugged Abel tightly, burying his head into the crook of Abel's neck. Abel stiffened, still unused to friendly contact, but then relaxed, sliding his arms loosely around Tres' back.

"Tres..."

"I was scared about you..." Tres' voice was muffled against Abel's soaked shirt.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't ever do that again." Tres looked up at Abel, his eyes deadly serious.

"I won't."Abel promised.

-----

Leon advanced on Hugue, a feral gleam in his red-brown eyes. Hugue, in turn, scrambled away from him, only to meet a wall against his back. He looked fearfully at Leon. He was cornered.

Without any warning, Leon grabbed Hugue and crashed their lips together. Hugue froze. It wasn't that they'd never kissed before (actually, it was the complete opposite) but that Leon would probably end up doing something that he would later regret.

But something was in control of Leon, and Hugue knew that that something would have no regrets.

Suddenly Leon was off Hugue and sprawled across the ground. Hugue looked up at the figure standing over him, and saw a teenager, around his age, with spiky, sandy-brown hair that defied all laws of physics and rain. He turned back to Leon, who was standing up. Hugue jumped up, wiping his lips and finding blood on his hand, which was immediately washed away by the downpour. He noticed some of the red liquid on Leon's, accompanied with a cut, and found some grim satisfaction that he had responded in some way. Leon's eyes were fixed on the stranger, and Hugue's attention darted back to him as well.

"Who the hell are you?" Leon hissed, rubbing his jaw where an abnormally hard blow had landed.

"The more important question is, what the hell were you doing just now?" the stranger gestured to Hugue by jerking a thumb at him.

"It isn't his fault." Hugue cut in.

An eyebrow raised above red sunglasses.

"Yeah, like he said. It isn't his fault." Leon smirked.

"Then whose fault was it?"

Leon scowled.

"That wasn't what I meant... it's his fault he didn't take his meds, but that's about it." Hugue explained.

"Meds?"

"I'll explain once I get him sorted out." Hugue glanced at his phone, which was smashed beyond repair. "Crapdammit."

Leon raised an eyebrow at Hugue's choice of wording.

"I liked that phone."

"That's a phone?" the stranger queried disbelievingly. "Here, hime**(1)**." He pulled out his own and handed it to Hugue, who vaguely wondered what 'hime' meant.

"Thanks..." Hugue dialled Tres' number, shielding the phone from the rain. He brought it to his ear, listening to the ringing sound.

-----

Tres swore loudly as his phone started ringing. He answered it, muttering a testy "Hello?"

"It's Hugue, I need you to get to A block, I don't know if Esther already called you-" Hugue began.

"She did but she didn't tell me why-" Tres started to say.

"I'll explain if you get here pronto-" Hugue argued.

"I have Abel here-"

"Is he okay?" Hugue asked worriedly.

"Yes, no thanks to you! Why should I come when you didn't help me-?"

"Tres! _I need your help, fuckit!_" Hugue yelled in exasperation.

"Fine!" Tres shouted, and hung up. "Looks like we have to get to A block. Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I'm not a little kid." Abel replied, annoyed by their arguing. He took off towards A block, showing no signs of being unconscious less than 10 minutes earlier. Tres followed, one hand to his brow so that rain wouldn't get in his eyes. He mentally cursed the weather.

-----

Less than ten seconds later, Tres and Abel skidded to a halt in front of Hugue, Leon and the stranger, water droplets seemingly spraying from their feet.

"Who are you?" Tres and Abel said at the same time.

"Hn. Hugue, you said your name was?" the stranger ignored the question and turned to Hugue.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Isn't that a boy's name?"

There was silence, apart from the rain hitting the ground.

Abel burst out laughing.

Hugue glared at the stranger, thoroughly pissed off.

Tres laughed as well, as much from the question as the expression on Hugue's face.

Leon smirked.

The stranger shrugged. "My bad."

"God, this day is crazy..." Tres said weakly, grinning.

"...back to the matter on hand." Hugue fixed his gaze on Leon.

"Hm... I thought you were a bit flat-chested to be a girl." The stranger commented.

"Back to the matter on hand." Hugue repeated.

The stranger turned his head back to Leon, who was smirking more than ever.

"What are you going to do?" he taunted.

Quicker than lightning, the stranger knocked Leon over and pinned him to the ground with inhuman strength. It was then that Hugue (and the others) noticed that the stranger's left hand was covered by a glove (at least it looked like a glove) – but not a normal glove; it was made out of metal. The stranger held Leon down with said hand, and with the other reached into one of Leon's trouser pockets, then pulled out a sheet of pills. Everyone watched in confusion, wondering how the stranger knew.

"Hm... Zyprexa? You should probably be using Risperidone. Lasts for longer**(2)**." The stranger said nonchalantly, pushing one of the pills out of the packet, then throwing the sheet to Hugue, who caught it. "Open your mouth."

Leon did nothing.

"I said, open your mouth." He repeated more forcefully, pressing harder on Leon's wrists. Leon yelped in pain, and the stranger dropped the pill into Leon's open mouth. Surprised, Leon swallowed instinctively. He froze in shock.

The stranger pushed himself off Leon, preferring to watch from a safe distance, shielding his eyes from the rain.

The others were either looking at Leon or the stranger.

"Oh, by the way, my name's Slash."

-----

**1 – hime means princess. Lol**_**. Also, I dunno if I'm putting Slash too OOC by having him use Japanese... *sweatdrops* sorry, DoomsEye!**_

**2 – **_**I don't really know much about the treatment medication for schizophrenia. I get the feeling I should, since my mum's a doctor... but still.**_

**Whoop whoop, new chapter! Okay, here's the deal with Slash; he belongs to DoomsEye on DeviantArt. Link here, delete the spaces: ** _http : // doomseye . deviantart . com /_

**Oh, and to DoomsEye if you're reading this (this is IPC talking btw):**

_**Heyy! Glad you decided to read this, please leave a review or talk to me on DevArt. I hope you like how I've made Slash, and that you don't kill me if I totally ruined him... which I know I probably have done... T_T lol, this is only on this dude's account because I can't be bothered to put it on mine. Maybe once it's finished I'll put it on mine. Co-writing can be a bitch... I take full credit for ruining Slash though, because C02 doesn't know shit about Slash. Anyway, I'll let ya be now.**_

_**-xLH**_

**Just like IPC to sign off. Anyway, hope ya liked the new chapter. I'm so happy that this has come so far ^^**

**A word to people who are reading this. I checked my hits just now, and it says 397 hits, 175 visitors. So why have I only got reviews from two people? I understand if you're not sure what to say, but any random mess of numbers, letter and punctuation will do it for me! Perhaps a funny line from the chapter that you liked, or something about the A/Ns, I don't mind! It'd just really make my day if I got a couple more reviews per chapter.**

**Not that I don't appreciate the reviews I already get; I'd like to thank InLuvWithMicky for supporting me and helping me with ideas. You've been a great help, thanks loads! And also to YinDigi, although I'm not sure why you've stopped reviewing...**

**Anyway, I have to go now and my A/N is so freaking long... oh well. Please review, and peace out!!**

**AB-chan**


	9. That Time Of Year

_**Hahaha! AB-chan finally got his Microsoft Word problem sorted out **_**(more like got something else) **_**so we're back! Sorry about the "NOT A CHAPTER!!", we'll delete that after we've posted this.**_

_**Has anyone checked out my profile yet? I'm in needie of reviews for my new fic Fireflies XP**_

_**I feel as if I should put a disclaimer for Slash, so here it is: I don't own Markus "Slash" Kaine, as much as I want to. He belongs solely to DoomsEye and I'm just borrowing him... sadly.**_

_**I own Henry. And he'll make an appearance in this chapter.**_

_**Oh yeah, a note to anyone who's up-to-date on Naruto (i.e. chapter 470), isn't Samehada amazingly cool?**_

_**And now that I'm catching up on the Bleach that I've missed, I just realized that Kisuke Urahara always manages to show up at the most convenient times, just like Ky-chan. Odd...**_

_**Something I just found out; Geta boshi (or boushi, depending on how you want to spell it) means wooden sandal hat XD also, since I'm reading this one OneManga, I know some of the translations won't be accurate but I could have sworn it was Urahara Shoten, not Urahara's Shop.**_

_**Anyway. XD**_

_**So, let the chapter begin!**_

_**-**_

"My name's Slash."

"Slash?" Tres repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"You called?" Slash said, turning to Tres.

"...nothing."

"Oh god..." Leon groaned, sitting up and holding his head. "What the fuck happened?"

"You went psycho on us." Hugue said, still vaguely annoyed that the stranger – Slash – had mistaken him for a girl.

"...I knew I'd forgotten something."

"Forgotten?" Hugue arched an eyebrow, an incredulous look on his face. "_Forgotten_?!"

"Understatement of the millennium." Slash muttered dryly.

"You would have _fucked _me had he not turned up!" Hugue jerked a thumb behind him at Slash.

"Eloquent words, _hime_." Slash snickered.

"You, shut up. I have no idea what 'hime' means but I can tell it's not exactly complimentary." Hugue snapped, not turning around.

"I beg to differ." Slash murmured.

"And _you_," Hugue turned to face Abel, "Don't you _dare _run off like that again."

Abel practically shrank away from the look in Hugue's eyes. He nodded meekly.

"Anyway, now that's sorted, can we go inside? It's raining, in case you hadn't noticed."

-----

"Hey Slash, where's your room?" Abel asked, the thought just occurring to him.

"The number's 907b." Slash replied, looking at the sheet of paper he had been given at reception.

"Isn't that the room..." Abel trailed off, looking confusedly at Tres.

"That leads off from ours, yeah. I thought the new kid, Henry, was going to be in there." Tres nodded, frowning.

"That's odd..."

"What's even more odd is that Leon didn't know that you were coming. He usually hears about that sort of thing at least two days beforehand." Hugue spoke up for the first time.

"We still have no idea how..." Tres said. Unfortunately they couldn't ask Leon since he was currently in the medical office, doing god knows what.

"I'd prefer not to know, to be honest." Abel laughed.

"Yeah, what with how he has what they would call 'rugged charm'." Tres added, laughing also.

"I doubt that..." Slash said quietly. "I can tell he cares a lot about hime."

Two pairs of eyes fell on him curiously while Hugue stayed staring ahead. "Ah, don't mind..." Slash broke off, stifling a laugh. Both Tres and Abel tilted their heads at exactly the same time, which caused Slash to smirk knowingly while suppressing laughter.

"What's so funny?!" Abel asked.

Slash shook his head. "Don't mind me. I see things that other people don't."

"...actually, I'm not gonna ask." Abel said. They finally got to their room, which was on the fourth floor. Hugue's was further down the corridor, so he left them and carried on walking, deep in thought. Slash had said that Leon cared a lot about him... first off, what puzzled Hugue was how Slash knew. Then there was the actual statement. Hugue and Leon had always been sort of boyfriends/friends with benefits/best friends. Hugue cared a lot more about Leon than he let on... in fact, more than he wanted to admit. Also, there were secrets. Like how Hugue still self-harmed.

Hugue wasn't stupid. He knew enough about concealment to know how to bring a razorblade in without being caught; just to put it on a necklace and wear it under his clothes. He had actually been wearing it a while beforehand, just in case anything happened. He didn't remember much about the time leading up to his commitment to St Alessandro's. He knew he had been taken in after being found on the streets, his wrists bleeding and scarred.

He had been put into the same room as a loudmouth kid who always tried to make him talk, his name was something like Anthony... Antonio? Anyway. He managed to get his room moved, into an empty one.

A few months after, Leon had arrived. At first, Hugue tried to drive him away, preferring not to talk to anyone. By that time he had become notorious for his short temper and hostile personality. A lot of people wondered how long it would take for Hugue to kill Leon. But Leon had, instead of backing off, stuck even closer to Hugue. It annoyed Hugue at first, but Leon started to grow on him.

Hugue let out a sigh, shaking himself from his thoughts. He absent-mindedly opened the door to his room, kicked off his shoes and threw himself on the bed.

"Today was... eventful..." he murmured to himself.

He suddenly remembered something; Tres had never told him why Abel was out in the rain. He made a mental note to ask Abel the next day. Speaking of which... Hugue turned his head to glance up at the clock, and groaned. It was already past 6pm, half an hour after the canteen opened. Oh well, he'd just skip dinner. He grabbed his iPod from the bedside table that he'd left it before going up to Tres and Abel's room. Putting the songs on shuffle, he lay back on the bed, closing his eyes and mentally singing along to the song.

_Pain, without love,_

_Pain, can't get enough,_

_Pain, I like it rough,_

_'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all..._

A soft knock on the door made him pause the music and sit up. A brightly coloured flyer slid under the door, and footsteps drew away. Hugue went over and picked it up.

**KAREOKE NIGHT!**

**Yes, it's that time of year again! Basically, as it says, St Alessandro's is having a kareoke night (Friday 23****rd**** December), open to everyone!**

**Drinks will be on the house and anyone can sing, so why not come along?**

_It's that time of year again_... Hugue wished it wasn't. He hated singing in front of people, but Leon always coerced him into doing it somehow. He vaguely wondered what Leon would do this year to make him sing. Last year it was bribing with offering to pay for the CD that he had wanted at the time (One X by Three Days Grace). Perhaps this year it would be a threat... ah well. He wouldn't know until it actually came around to it.

Hugue hadn't noticed he'd been standing right by the door until it opened quickly. Luckily he had quick reflexes and jumped back, putting a foot to block the door.

"Hey, Hugue, it's jus' me!" Leon said, pushing at the door. Hugue removed his foot from it and Leon fell into the room, cursing.

"Am I missing something?" Slash's voice made the pair look at the door. "Hey, kareoke?" he asked, seeing the leaflet.

"Yeah... unfortunately." Hugue muttered.

"Why, don't you like singing? I bet you can sing really well." Slash said, smirking.

"I hate singing when people are listening." Hugue replied, glaring at Slash.

"Whatever. Anyway, are you going to come and eat? I was just going down and then Tres mentioned that neither you nor Leon had eaten yet."

"Good point." Leon said, standing up.

"Fine, I'll come." Hugue consented, seeing no reason not to.

"Back to what I said before, are you going to sing in the kareoke?" Slash wondered, holding open the door. Hugue and Leon ducked under his arm and out of the room.

"I'm not going to sing." Hugue said over his shoulder to Slash.

"But why not?" Leon argued. "You sing really well!"

"I just don't want to!"

"C'mon!" Leon pleaded.

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"I promise I'll reward you..."

"...no."

"Aw, you're no fun!"

"No."

-----

**Yay, this chapter was quite long, nearly 1,300 words. I know it was a kinda rubbish place to end this but I really couldn't be bothered to keep writing... god, Open-Office is really fucked up. Oh well. Me and IPC are reading Bleach now XD Hichigo finally showed up! **_**I know, he's so amazingly cool XP **_**Yeah... *hearts* **_**God, stop being so gay... **_**T_T you're so mean!**

_**Anyway, someone review. I don't much care who, although it would be nice to get a new reviewer, especially what with the number of people who read and not review. *glares angrily* you guys annoy me a lot. **_**Don't worry, she doesn't mean it. **_**Yes I do.**_

**Still, please review. They make us all happy.**

**See ya all,**

**AB-chan**

_**-xLH**_


	10. Kareoke: Part 1

_**Hey all! We're back with the next chapter so hope you're ready for it!**_

_**Sorry, I believe I lied in the last chapter about Henry showing up, but he will DEFINITELY be here this chapter. **_**So says you. **_**Yes, so says I.**_

_**I'm still reading Bleach, and thanks to god Byakuya apologized to Rukia. And that fox dude, I can't remember his name but he's big. I never noticed... ~shivers~ **_**By the way, it's Komamura, in case you were wondering. **_**I wasn't.**_

_**A~ah ha ha, Ulqui looks so surprised!**_

"_**Cry... Benihime."**_

_**Aww, they scared Ulqui off T_T**_

_**Hehehe Toushirou is getting so~o annoyed!**_

"_**Is this some kind of trend in your world?" "No, it's just him."**_

_**Eww, Ulqui just took his eye out... eww... not nice...**_

_**Hey, Aizen's quite good-looking now...**_

_**AAAHHHHH!! GRIMMJOW!! AAAA~~~~AAAAHHHH~AAA!!!**_

_**Whoop whoop, Grimmy is coming to the human wo~orld!**_

_**Waa~aaah, Grimmy is so~o ho~ot!**_

_**O__o Rangiku is on top of Orihime... Rangiku is naked... ~calls all the guys~**_

_**Whoa, is Grimmy OTT or what?**_

_**Hahaha Ikkaku is so paranoid XD I think I've just fallen in love **_^///^

_**AAHHH! Lil Shiro has a konpaku thingie!!**_

_**Dei Roi looks like Suigetsu from Naruto...**_

_**Hahaha Grimmy just called himself a gi~irl!**_

_**In fact, everyone's calling themselves girls... that's not how you do it, you stupid child!**_

_**Ooh, Grimmy has ni~ice hair XD**_

"_**Prepare for Madarame Ikkaku's funeral service." OMG, I yelled "No! He can't die!" then my sister was like "WTF Lucy?"**_

_**A~ah, Yumichika is hot close-up ^.^**_

"_**I'll put a fucking hole in you!" now that sounds dirty, little Grimmy.**_

"_**Is that it?" XD Grimmy is so legendary...**_

_**Hahaha, when Hichigo said "You wanna know where Zangetsu is?" I expected him to say "I ate him!"**_

_**Hahaha Uryuu is a laundry detergent XD**_

_**Still. Ignore my rantings.**_

_**We're on chapter ten now, is it? Yes, ten. This chapter will be good (hopefully).**_

_**Generally what's gonna happen: Kareoke, cross-dressing and some friendly chats between people. Oh, and cute innocence on Slash's part.**_

_**Disclaimers: I don't own Trinity Blood, or Slash, or Henry Christoph. Trinity Blood is property of Sunao Yoshida and THORES, Slash belongs to DoomsEye, and I have no idea who Henry Christoph belongs to but it sure as hell isn't me.**_

_**I'm only going to do half of the kareoke... because it will just be WAY too long to do all of it XD**_

_**Enjoy the show!**_

-----

The steady beat of a techno song vibrated the floor and walls as the group of friends made their way to the canteen.

"Kareoke, ka~areo~oke~e..." William sang excitedly. Esther hit him on the back of his head, muttering "idiot".

Ahead of them, Leon, Slash and Hugue were walking.

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"  
"No."

"Pretty, pretty please with sugar and icing and cherries on top?"

"No!"

"Pretty, pretty please with sugar and icing and cherries and kisses on top?"

Slash choked, turning red. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"...maybe."

Slash sped up so that he was walking next to Abel, his face still flushed.

"Don't mind them, they're always like that." the silver-haired asked, laughing. "At least, Leon is."

"You get used to it after a while." Tres added, smirking. Despite his cool manner, Slash could be surprisingly innocent.

Abel looked at Slash properly for the first time. Spiky sand-brown hair and eyes hidden behind red sunglasses, black shirt with a white tie, a red long-sleeved undershirt, and black jeans with a red chain. There were also various red 'x' marks on his clothing, including on his tie, the black fingerless glove on his right hand and the right pocket of his jeans. What was the most intriguing about him, however, was his metal hand. The fingers were sharp, almost like knives and could probably cut through stone easily.

Slash looked up, feeling someone's gaze on him, and met Abel's eyes. Abel looked away, blushing.

"Sorry Abel, I'm taken... more or less." Slash joked, an easy smile on his face.

"Like I'd be interested in you!" Abel retaliated, embarrassed at being caught staring.

"And you like someone else." Slash added. Abel nodded without thinking, then looked back at Slash, bewildered.

"How did you know?!"

"Don't worry, I can just tell." Slash glanced at Tres. Abel bowed his head in defeat.

"He doesn't feel the same though." the words were barely audible but Slash caught them.

"Sometimes, you're just unbelievably clueless." Slash muttered under his breath.

"About what?" Tres spoke up.

"What about what?" Abel asked, confused.

"Never mind." just then, Slash's mobile phone started playing the song 'Map Of The Problematique' by Muse. Slash rolled his eyes, answering it with a laugh. "I was wondering when you were going to call me, Henry."

"Yeah, things got messed up. Nina's been upset since ya left." Slash's best friend said, uncharacteristically serious.

"I left her something... I might have accidentally left it in my dorm. Would you see if there's a pale green box on my bedside table? It's for her." Slash said. There were sounds of a person moving, then a slight 'thud' on the other end of the line.

"Pale green box on ya bedside table? It's here." Slash could hear a rattle.

"Don't shake it! Idiot!" Slash hissed. "That took time to make!"

"You _made_ her something?" Henry asked, interested.

"Yes. So we can keep in touch. Me and Nina, that is."

"What is it?"

"A necklace. Could you give it to her?"

"'Course." Henry said.

"Thanks. Anyway, how's things back at the Academy?"

"Same, really... although it's gotten kinda borin'. Andelina's only thrown three tables since ya left... Igma's happy 'bout that, but we can all tell he's worried. Lockian's bored with no-one t' annoy... Miss Patterson is a little less enthusiastic but she don't let it show much. Even Turnry misses ya." Henry's voice was serious again.

Slash sighed. "I wish I could come back... but the bastard who calls himself my father won't allow me."

"I know, I know. He don't even believe ya."

"How would anyone, really? You're the only one I've told that didn't laugh... you're the only one who believes me."

"Well, what're best friends for?" Henry laughed.

"I guess so." Slash winced as Abel pushed open the door to the canteen and the music attacked his ears. He put his phone on loudspeaker and yelled over the noise, "I don't think now is the best time to talk. I'll call you back later." Slash slid his phone closed, ending the call, and put it back in his pocket.

"Anyway. Hey Tres, how does the whole thing work?" Abel shouted.

"You choose a song, they play a kareoke version of it, and you sing along. Simple as that."

"No, I didn't mean that. I meant, what if they don't have the song?"

"I wouldn't worry. Last year, there wasn't a song that they didn't have. William did Crazy Frog last year." Tres laughed at the memory.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't go last year. I was still... never mind." Tres stopped his train of thought, sighing. "Anyway, let's go get drinks."

Abel followed Tres over to where the drinks were, leaving Slash to deal with Leon and Hugue.

"Pleeeeaaaase?"

"Okay!" Hugue yelled, huffing. "You're obviously not going to give up, anyway!"

Leon whooped in triumph, punching the air. "What song're ya gonna do?"

"Not sure... maybe I'll just pick a random one from my iPod."

"I'm gonna do one by Skillet... Whispers In The Dark maybe." Leon said, shrugging.

"Hey Slash, are you singing?" Hugue asked, looking across Leon at Slash.

"Yeah... Anna Molly by Incubus." Slash said, just loud enough for the other two to hear it. Leon was about to say something, but Hugue discretely elbowed him. The brunette shut his mouth, knowing from previous occasions how sharp Hugue's elbow was. Hugue led the other two to the table they usually sat at, dropping into their seats.

Tres and Abel appeared half a minute later, holding a tray of drinks each. They set them on the table, and sat down, taking a drink each. Hugue grabbed one then scanned the crowd for the others. He spotted William, Esther and another boy walking towards him, Esther leading and looking annoyed.

"Who's the other one?" Abel asked.

"Henry. Supposedly your new room-mate." Esther replied, sitting down between Hugue and Leon. "Even though Slash is there."

"He's gonna stay in my room!" William said, sitting on the table at his place.

"Oh yeah... I forgot you were by yourself." Abel said, just as the loud techno music stopped and all the lights dimmed except for the one on the stage. A woman, seemingly in her early twenties, appeared at the side and walked over to the centre where a microphone was held in a stand. She shook her light brown hair out of her eyes.

"Hey everybody!" she yelled, her voice resounding around the canteen. Everyone cheered. "It's that time of year again, remember! Kareoke night is begun!"

More cheering.

"I'd ask for the first person to come up... but this year we're doing something different! Me and Isaak are going to be singing Paralyzer by Finger Eleven." a flirty smirk was on her lips as a man came out onto the stage, stood behind her and wrapped an arm around her (kind of flat) chest. A minor chord played on guitar rang out, then a steady bass drum beat. She spun around, putting the mic. back in the stand. The man, Isaak, trailed a hand down her side and across her bare stomach. He opened his mouth and started singing.

"I hold on so nervously,  
To me and my drink,  
I wish it was cooling me,  
But so far, has not been good,  
It's been shitty..."

He undid the laces on the back of the woman's scanty bodice-type-thing and flung it off the stage. She turned around to sing into the microphone and revealed a slender and very flat chest. It turned out she was actually a feminine man. His smirk became wider at the audience's reactions, including a few wolf-whistles and some giggling.  
"And I feel awkward, as I should,  
This club has got to be,  
The most pretentious thing,  
Since I thought you and me,  
Well I am imagining,  
A dark lit place,  
Or your place or my place!"  
Isaak mouthed something to the other, shaking long midnight-blue hair from his face, and took the mic. from the stand.  
"Well I'm not paralyzed,  
But I seem to be struck by you,  
I want to make you move,  
Because you're standing still," Isaak passed the mic. back to the other and yelled "Sing it, Dietrich!"  
"If your body matches,  
What your eyes can do,  
You'll probably move right through,  
Me on my way to you!"  
The other, Dietrich, threw the mic. in the air, and Isaak caught it easily.  
"I hold out for one more drink,  
Before I think,  
I'm looking too desperately," Isaak let his gaze linger on Dietrich for a second before throwing the microphone back to him and walking away.  
"But so far has not been fun,  
I should just stay home,  
If one thing really means one," Dietrich held up his index finger to the audience with the hand not holding the mic..

"This club will hopefully,  
Be closed in three weeks,  
That would be cool with me," he put the mic. back on the stand, walking to where Isaak stood in shadow. The dark-haired man's voice was as loud as it had been in a mic.; a small shaft of light revealed him holding a wireless one.  
"Well I'm still imagining,  
A dark lit place,  
Or your place or my place!"  
Isaak yelled the last line, spinning round to face Dietrich.  
"Well, I'm not paralyzed,  
But I seem to be struck by you,  
I want to make you move,  
Because you're standing still..."

The song went on, each move more flirtatious than the next. When it ended there was loud applause, and lots of whistling and screaming. Dietrich walked back to the centre of the stage, grinning. "Thank you, thank you very much! Can we have one more round of applause for my amazing dance partner, Isaak?"

The crowd obliged.

Dietrich clapped along with them, winking behind him at Isaak.

"Don't worry guys, you don't have to dance if you don't want to! So who's up first?"

Everyone looked around at the teen standing up, hand raised in the air.

"I will."

-----

**Woohoo, chapter ten done! Don't you all just LOVE it?**

**By the way, this is what Slash looks like. Delete the spaces.**

_**I drew it, by the way ^.^**_

_**http :// ItachisPurpleChakra . deviantart . com / art / Slash-gift-art-for-DoomsEye-141859253**_

**Thanks so much to InLuvWithMickey, Deliah von Lohengrin and YinDigi! You guys keep me and IPC writing!**

**Oh yeah, and Henry DID show. And to erase any confusion, the person Slash was talking to isn't actually the OC Henry, it's someone else; Slash's best friend from before he went to St Alessandro's.**

**Whoa, I just spell-checked this and it took me about five minutes! D= I might not have got all of them so sorry if there's any mistakes XD**

**Paralyzer by Finger Eleven is an awesome song. I was listening to it on repeat all the time that me and IPC were writing the dance scene with Di and Isaak XD**

**Well, peace out for now.**

**AB-chan**

_**Well, I'm ba~ack! Sorry about the Bleach rantings but I can't help it sometimes ^.^ Guess how many words we wrote in this chapter!**_

_**C'mon, guess!**_

_**Keep guessing!**_

_**It was...**_

_**1757!! Whoop whoop, we are awesome!**_

_**Bye~e, gotta get reading some more Bleach!**_

_**-xLH**_


	11. Kareoke: Abel

_**So, we're back! I can't believe we're already at eleven chapters!  
**__**Okay, hell with trying to do this in three/two parts. I'll do one or two characters each chapter, maybe three if they aren't too long. I'm taking the opportunity to do some character building. =D**_

_**Sorry, sorry, SORRY for the long wait! We've both been in a slump, I've been dealing with eight more shadows (although Hidan has been v. helpful, as little as I'd like to admit it), and we've both been generally busy. Sorry, I know I should'a been tryin'a write, and I was. But still.**_

_**Back to the random natter about Bleach, I finally found out what 'shikai' and 'bankai' mean. 'Shikai' is the idea of 'releasing' the 'use'. ('kai' meaning 'release'). Therefore 'bankai', 'ban' meaning 'seal' and 'kai' meaning 'release', would mean 'releasing' the 'seal'. Just incase anyone was wondering.**_

_**Sorry about this: I've made a mistake; Albion is apparently another name for England, or Great Britain. In the first chapter, I said it was a town. So if that's wrong, sorry. But I doubt it matters THAT much... hopefully ^^'**_

_**Anyway, the next chapter.**_

_**This is for you, Delilah Von Lohengrin!!**_

_**And DoomsEye. I demand free access to all your characters. Just kidding. I'd feel bad if I used Matthew without doing this chapter first. =)**_

_**Enjoy the story!!**_

-----

_Last time_

"_So, who's up first?"_

_Everyone looked around at the teen standing up, hand raised in the air._

"_I will."_

_-_

Slash raised an eyebrow.

Hugue stayed relaxed, not really caring who it was as long as it wasn't him.

Leon let out a low whistle.

Tres leant back in his seat.

Abel stayed standing, looking straight into Dietrich's eyes. He felt a glimmer of recognition, but didn't know why.

Dietrich smirked. This year's first was the kid who OD'd – he looked strangely familiar. Hang on... ah, _that_ was it. "Okay then, _Abel._ What song are you singing?"

"Still Waiting by Sum 41, _Dietrich_." Abel said, slightly nervous but covering it up with more bravado than he honestly felt.

"Would you like to step up here, _Abel_?" Dietrich asked, his smirk becoming wider.

"Of course, _Dietrich._" Abel replied in the same tone as the brunette, walking up onto the stage. He could feel everyone's eyes on him but he kept his gaze straight ahead.

Back in the audience, a lot of people were whispering to each other, wondering who Abel was; it had only been a little over two weeks since he had arrived.

Dietrich inclined his head slightly, then stepped back into the shadows to join Isaak.

"Uh... okay then... I'm Abel Nightroad. I'm kinda new here and haven't done kareoke before, so sorry if I mess up." Abel laughed nervously. He looked behind him at Dietrich, who nodded.

The music started instantly, and Abel came in barely a second later.

"So am I, still waiting,

For this world to stop hating?

Can't find a, good reason,

Can't find hope to believe in," Abel sang quietly, holding the mic. in his hand. _This song brings back memories._ He thought to himself, smiling slightly. The first time he had heard it was at nightclub around a year ago; he had managed to escaped the house for a few hours and go to town. He remembered the glamorous singer from the band performing that night; the band's name was Rosenkreuz. Abel had heard of them before, although he wasn't quite sure where from. But he was interested, and had gone to a club where they were performing. The lead singer was amazing; not only did he sing well but he was very good-looking. He had long blonde hair that came halfway down his bare back, glittering ice-blue eyes, and a body any man would kill to have. He had looked familiar, like the name of the band (and its members, if he were to be honest) but Abel just couldn't place where he had seen them.

He was broken out of his thoughts as his cue was a split-second away, and only just started singing in time.

"Drop dead, a bullet to my head,

Your words are like a gun in hand,

We can change the state of the nation,

We just need some motivation,

These eyes have seen no conviction,

Just lies, and more contradiction,

So tell me, what would you say?

I say it's time, too late,"

Abel's eyes swept the room and immediately found the table where the group was sitting. William and the new boy, Henry, were whispering animatedly, Hugue had leant his head on Leon's shoulder (much to Leon's annoyance), Slash's gaze was darting around, giving Abel the impression that Slash was one of the people that didn't like sitting still. Abel and Tres met eyes and held them for a millisecond, before Abel's next line came in.

"So am I, still waiting,

For this world to stop hating,

Can't find a, good reason,

Can't find hope to believe in,"

Tres blinked, and shook his head as if waking himself from a daze. Abel restrained himself from laughing, knowing he would make a fool of himself if he did. But it was hard; Tres had looked uncharacteristically cute then. He allowed himself a slight smirk, before his mind went back to 'Rosenkreuz'. After they had gone off-stage, Abel had picked up names, or at least nicknames, for some of the members. The singer was 'Contra Mundi', the guitarist with long, midnight-coloured hair was 'Panzer Magier'-- hang on, long midnight-coloured hair? Abel's eyes flicked behind him to Isaak. He made a mental note to ask him afterwards.

If Isaak was the guitarist, though, that might mean that the bassist, 'Marionettenspieler', was Dietrich. That left the lead singer, and the drummer, 'Flammenschwert'.

"Ignorance, and understanding," Abel came in just in time, almost missing the cue.

"We're the first ones to jump in line,

Out of step, for what we believe in,

But who's left, to stop the bleeding?

How far, will we take this,

It's not hard, to see through the fakeness,

So tell me, what would you say,

I say it's time, too late,"

Abel's voice went onto autopilot, since he knew all the words 'off-by heart and back to front', as Hugue had said while they were on the way to kareoke, to which Abel replied: "Like you know Leon?"

Remembering Hugue's expression almost made him burst out laughing, so he cast his mind back to what he was thinking about a minute ago.

Thoughts and memories of the nightclub, 'Rosenkreuz', 'Contra Mundi' and 'Flammenschwert' swirled through Abel's mind, confusion mingling with them. He had the feeling that he knew those people, but couldn't remember where from. It was so infuriating.

A small noise at the back of the audience made Abel look up. In the dim light, he could just make out the figures of two teenagers making out. A dark-haired boy and a blonde girl... wait, the blonde was actually male. In the dark it was hard to tell.

Abel barely noticed when the song finished, so caught up in his thoughts that he only came out of them when loud applause ensued. He inclined his head slightly in a miniature bow, then walked off the stage, his face flushed with embarrassment and pride. When he reached the table his friends were, he slumped down and buried his head in his arms. He felt a strong hand hit his back, and looked up to see Leon standing next to him.

"Ya did good, four-eyes."

Abel glared at him. "I told you not to call me that."

"Least I ain't callin' ya Abie."

"Ah, touché."

"People, people!" Dietrich shouted over the talking. "Who's next?!"

-----

**So, the next chapter is DONE!! HAHAHAHA!!!**

**Okay, cyber-muffins and cyber-hugs if you people can guess these things:**

**1- who the guys making out were. As in, the dark-haired and blonde guys. Yeah. Them.**

**2- who the next person singing is. I may let you give a request if you're lucky, or if I know who the person is. X3 I'll try to do all of them eventually. To give me inspiration!! Wo0T!**

**3- what Dietrich said to make Hugue blush. That shouldn't be too hard. X3**

**4- this is a hard one, so extra muffins and cookies if you get it right: what is it that hardly anyone believes Slash about? (Go and re-read the previous chapter if you don't remember what I'm talking about.**

**So! Tell me your answers in a review! I accept anonymous reviewers. I think. I'll go check that. But still. PLEASE REVIEW!! Those are what keep me going!! I spend too much time on DeviantART... yeah, if you have a dA account, I'm SogyoNoKotowari. Find me!**

**Well, I'm outta here for now, enjoy yourselves! Oh, and by the way, hope ya all had a great Xmas, and for those of you who don't celebrate, hope ya had a great holiday so far! See ya all in the new year!**

**AB-chan**

_**Wow... he's hyper. Again. Yeah, pretty much what he said. And for number 4 of what you have to guess... think out of the ordinary. It may or may not have something to do with Slash's metal hand. Just a hint. See you next chapter. We might introduce a new character, that DoomsEye might recognize if he's read Typical Evenings. If you haven't, Jakob-san... WHY NOT?! Lol.**_

_**By the way everyone, it's my birthday on the 3**__**rd**__** of January (this Sunday). Just saying is all.**_

_**'Til next year, guys.**_

_**-xLH**_


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